Blooded Existence
by Adesalat-Rettamitna
Summary: An Executioner is selling a mysterious black dog to the Assassins' Guild. But who is this dark canine? How will she be beneficial to the Assassins? Read on and find out! Only Aleva Lakeblood is copyrighted to myself. Oh, and Paremvi Trisfeno. * One or two mistypes may be found. Oh, well!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- The Introduction**

A dark-haired man stood at Lord Downey's desk. He had the appearance of a comely young man from the World War Two era on Roundworld.

He dressed in the manner of an Executioner and appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

His ebony eyes didn't look at the master of the Guild as he spoke, but seemed to be aiming his gaze at an invisible force behind him. There was also something vaguely lupine about his features.

He had with him a canine that resembled a very large, solid black husky. It could have been called a wolf, but it was well known wolves didn't live in cities. It must have, however, had a significant amount of wolf in it. You could see it in the eyes. The left one was a circlet of golden sap, the right a glistening ring of silver. And for some reason, an unknown essence drew your gaze to latter.

"….. And that is why you have to take her from us.", Spoke the mysterious figure.

His voice was a mixture of intimidation and calmness. It cut through your soul like a claymore slices your bones and was hard to deny.

"We have tried every other alternative. Besides…. She will be of great use to you."

Lord Downey smiled and petted the dog on her head. She eyed him as if to say "Okay, enough with the petting. I'm not your lap-dog!".

"I suppose we'd better find you a suitable student to care for you, girl. What did you say her name is?"

"Aleva. Aleva Lakeblood."

The Executioner's voice had a sudden strict but solemn tone, almost as if the name he spoke of belonged to a person he mildly despised but also felt some adoration for.

"And it would be preferred if you allowed her to choose the carer. If you choose for her, there is a high risk the person you choose could become her victim. Only she can know whom she will be loyal towards."

"And I suppose some form of restraining accessories are necessary. That is, a collar and lead.", Downey suggested.

"No. Aleva prefers to be treated more as a companion than a pet. Her mind is remarkably human! In a…. sadistic, bloodthirsty kind of way."

"I see. Will that be all?"

"Yes"

"Then we shall take her."

"Thank you."

The man turned to walk out and Downey took the ebony-haired "wolf-dog" with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Aleva's Chosen

Lord Downey was stood in a large hall with Aleva at his side. The room had a dark, shadowy essence, but also had a slightly welcoming feel.

An immense crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, aflame with candles like autumn leaves. An old but elegant mirror in the far corner of the room had a large crack running diagonally through it. Upon its ebony frame was carved roses, their wooden thorns scratching at the ruptured glass.

Standing in hundreds of single files was every student of the Guild. There were approximately ten lines of one hundred each, for each house. Because many of them had not yet attained full membership, not all of them wore black. Some were dressed in browns, whites, creams, midnight blues, greys and dark reds. They stood like frozen mannequins, as they listened in silence.

"I have with me a very special dog.", Began the Guildmaster.

"Her name is Aleva Lakeblood. I have been told she is worth seven thousand dollars and that she is a very efficient assistant. If you ever have trouble in tracking down your clients, she can scent their trail for you. If your clients continuously evade your plans, she may be able to be of some help."

A student at the back of one line let out a silent yawn. Because no-one saw or heard him, it can't be said if it was out of tiredness or boredom.

"However….", Downey continued.

"She is too dangerous to be kept in my office with the other dogs. That is why one of you will be chosen to be her master. But I will not be the one to choose. That is down to Aleva."

Aleva began walking along the nearest line, commencing her search.

This line, along with the first nine, was one of students from the Tree Frog House.

Aleva walked down the whole length of the line without showing so much as a brief glance at even one of them. The same happened when she walked along the other nine.

Next was the Python House.

The canine briefly glanced at around ten students from this house, but aside from that showed little more interest. She behaved in the same way when she searched the Scorpion and Cobra Houses.

Lord Downey was beginning to worry.

Perhaps there was no-one Aleva was capable of taking a liking to.

Well, that was no surprise really, judging by what he had heard about her from the Executioner.

Just as all hope was almost lost, Downey noticed her come to a _very _sudden halt. It was the sort of halt a chased prey performs when being persued to a cliff edge. But Aleva was walking at a pretty average pace, so there was no need for hers to be so abrupt. Unless….

She had noticed something rather fascinating.

She turned her head so sharply that it may have ripped a schism in the air. Her pupils dilated in an expression of what appeared to be a mixture of surprise and recognition. Her gaze seemed to be aimed at a line of the Viper House.

She turned and walked towards it. She closed in on a young boy who was standing nearest the fractured mirror. He looked to be around fifteen or so years old. She stopped and promptly sat at his presence. The boy at first appeared slightly confused. He then smiled the sort of smile you see on mischievous little children trying to appear innocent.

Aleva smiled back a similar smile, only in a more…. wolf-like, somewhat psychotic way.

Everyone in the hall seemed to be looking at them in pure astonishment. At that same moment, a soft but thunderous breeze echoed through the windows.

Even Lord Downey seemed completely aghast! It was almost as if his _face_ was speaking. It was as if it was speaking the words "How could…. why…. would she choose _him_?"

The young man had fine, admirable features and perfect, golden blonde curls. But his eyes were…. very quaint. The right was a grey that seemed to hint of silver in the light, with an almost incomprehensibly Lilliputian pupil. The left was a frozen ocean of black crystal.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- The greatest responsibility

Lord Downey was back at his desk. Leaning eagerly against it was young Jonathan, still wearing the same smile. Aleva was lying in the middle of the floor like a Djelibeybian statue, seemingly half-asleep.

"Now….", Downey began.

"It seems that the dog has chosen you. Naturally, I am quite concerned about this. Especially since the…. incident…."

Jonathan giggled at the memory. This particular 'incident' involved him impaling four cockerels and a piglet on a sharpened hat rack. He then proceeded to pull the intestines from each animal and wrap them around the rack to make a _very _macabre and bloody version of a maypole.

"That is why I am, quite coincidentally, readily prepared."

Jonathan ceased giggling and reverted to a fainter form of his previous smile.

Downey placed on the desk what appeared to be a syringe carved of walnut. Two feathered serpents of polished ebony were entwined around it, their white quartz eyes seeming to glow if you looked at them from the right angle.

"I was given this device by Aleva's previous owner. Now, hold out your arm."

Jonathan did as instructed and Downey swiftly plunged the syringe into his arm.

The boy didn't even flinch.

Not that you're _supposed_ to flinch when someone's giving you an injection. In fact, it would be quite foolish! But whether you do or don't flinch, your arm _still _manages to give itself rigor mortis two hours later.

"I have just injected you with one of the most intelligent viruses on the Discworld. This pathogen is so advanced that it can be trained much like a hawk. It remains dormant and undetected by the defensive system, until the time comes for it to do the trainer's bidding. This particular version of the virus has been trained to eat you from the inside if ever you allow Aleva to become killed or mortally wounded."

Jonathan's smile faded completely and was replaced, not by an expression of fear, but by an expression of perplexity.

_Was the Guild allowed to do this to its students?_

"Why would anyone be so protective of a _dog_?"

"I do not know.", Was Downey's reply.

"But he did say the dog was almost like a daughter to him."

"Oh. I see, sir."

Jonathan's voice _sounded_ innocent, but something in your head told you it wasn't. You didn't know exactly what it was; it was just a gut feeling this wasn't the sort of boy that you'd give a work placement at an animal farm. Speaking of which, I did _my_ work experience on an animal farm. For some peculiar reason, several small mammals kept dying the two weeks that I was there. But that's another story.

"And because you are now officially Aleva's master, you will be given a small assignment to see if the dog's abilities are as refined as I have been told they are."

Jonathan's face lit up, like a child who has just discovered he is allowed to have _his _Hogswatch a month early and has also received permission to torture the school bully. Aleva twitched one ear and opened one eye a fraction. She appeared to be smirking, too.

Lord Downey placed on the desk a small, slightly torn note. Attached to it was a poor-quality photo. Through the stains, you could just make out a figure wearing very regal clothing. It may have been the stains, but his face looked as if it had been swapped with a hideous monster's and been crushed by a boulder specifically designed to bestow ugliness on whomever it fell.

"His name is Paremvi Tsrifeno. Initially, we dismissed his case, as he didn't sound all that dangerous. The individual wishing him to be inhumed also offered a relatively, rather small pay. All we know is, he has been reported to have stolen a large number of _very_ valuable animals."

Jonathan started to show signs of boredom and disappointment. This client didn't sound much of a challenge.

Downey noticed this.

"I know you prefer more formidable clients. But you have to remember that Aleva is just a dog, however extraordinary a dog she may be. A supernatural, near-immortal creature would be too much for her."

A low, soft growl emitted from the great, blackened beast. Aleva seemed to have been somewhat infuriated by the Guildmaster's statement. Here was a dog who put high expectations upon herself!

"Remember, this is a test for _her_. To test _her_ full capability."

Jonathan nodded.

"I see. But I may need more information about this 'Paremvi Tsrifeno'."

"I am afraid that this is all the information we have been given. But there may be something in the Dark Library that could be of some help."

"Thank you, sir. May I go, now?"

"Of course."

The young Assassin got up from the chair and walked towards Aleva. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, Aleva. We're going to have some fun!"

As he and the black canid walked out, Lord Downey swore he heard the boy say:

"And if you're a good girl, maybe I'll let you have the cadaver for your dinner."

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Perhaps he could prevent Jonathan from killing something for once, but the boy could _still_ be a _very_ bad influence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Fire and Blood** The street was curiously quiet. Aside from a corvid's occasional crowing, a light breeze and a few distant barks, it was completely silent. The sky was a mosaic of dark greys, charcoal blacks and midnight blues. Clouds silhouetted the crimson-stained moon in such a way that they gave the illusion of a cracked surface. Aleva had caught a scent and seemed to be desperate to discover its whereabouts. Jonathan followed her, with a very eager expression. "What is it, Aleva? What can you scent?" He whispered. Although there was seemingly nobody around, he knew to be careful of possible eavesdroppers and hidden watchmen (or women). Aleva came to a halt outside a house made almost invisible by a wall of decomposing poison ivy. Only the dusty, ruptured gothic windows and the old, oak-wood doors gave away its presence. From the building came the sound of several animals in distress, most of them some sort of bird or rodent. She raised her head slightly and growled under her breath. The growling grew into a soft but intimidating bark. "Is he in here?" Aleva gave Jonathan a look as if to say: "No, I just came here to bark at the door. _Of course_ he is in here!" He took the handle of the brass door knocker, which was carved into the shape of what appeared to be a ghastly combination of a snake's, bat's and bovine's face. It was a good seven minutes before the client answered the door, but Jonathan knew to be patient. The man looked nothing like the person in the photo. Yes, he was _old_ but not _ugly_. In fact, you could almost tell that, in his youth, he would have been quite handsome. He wore an ancient and torn olive-green cape and a worn straw hat. He was covered in bloodstained feathers, too. He had in his hand a butcher's axe, which bore a remarkably rusted and notched blade.

"Oh, hello, young man. Have you come to help me pluck the chickens?"

His voice was of the tone you would expect to find on a kindly nursery school teacher.

He noticed the Assassins' Guild emblem, which was sewn onto Jonathan's midnight blue frock coat and an expression of concern crossed his face.

"Umm…."

A vaguely apologetic smile came across the boy's face.

"My apologies, sir. My dog seems to have mislead me to the incorrect destination."

The old man's face showed a look of relief.

"Oh, good. For a moment there, I thought you were going to ki-"

His sentence wasn't completed because a dagger had found its way into his chest.

"Uh….", He groaned a mixture of shock and agony. He then collapsed upon the doorstep, the wound-born liquid descending as a stream of thick, foul-scented wine. Jonathan had yet to master the skill of stabbing without leaving even the tiniest trace of blood.

He turned and began walking back.

"Let's go, Aleva."

But she stood her ground with hackles raised, snarling with a voice of hateful caution at the fresh carcass.

Jonathan was nearly around the corner, when he heard her growls suddenly turn to a high-pitched cry of agony. This was then followed by a sound like cloth-wrapped bone hitting marble.

As the Assassin spun around, it was like a neutron star had taken control of his soul. He ran back to the ivy-covered house almost as if a wild stallion had swapped legs with him. The sight bestowed upon him was Aleva lying against the wall of a house on the opposite side of the street. As if she had been thrown!

And from the darkness and mists, a monstrous figure was approaching….

Then, as he rearranged the letters of Paremvi Tsrifeno's name, the terrible truth dawned upon Jonathan's brilliant but ruptured mind.

_The first vampire! The first one! _

_How could I not have seen this from the beginning? _

But this vampire was unlike any other. Instead of the pale skin and aristocratic demeanour often associated with this undead species, the attributes bestowed upon the dissonant monster were truly repulsive.

The upper body was somewhat human in appearance, but it had a slightly dark greyish purple tone, and the ugliness of the face was like a dull city scarring a serene landscape of nature. Instead of two elegantly sharp fangs, many shark-like teeth filled the black gums and protruded from the lips.

The eyes also appeared as if someone had taken them out of the sockets and poured a molten ruby into each of them.

And not just the pupils and irises, either. Veins of red seemed to leak into the sclerae and out of the tear ducts, as emotionless tears of scarlet blood.

The lower body was that of a scorpion and giant serpent, more specifically a black mamba. The scorpion armour protected the vulnerable scales, the legs gave a more varied choice of movement and the poisonous barb made the powerful tail evermore deadly.

When he or _it_ spoke, the voice sounded like something somewhere between a harsh but whispering hiss and a _very_ deep growl. In the opinion of logic, biology and physics, this shouldn't have been possible. It was like a vocal cord trying to make the sound of a female opera singer and a rough-voiced thug simultaneously.

"So. Are you foolish enough to face me _now_, child! You are hardly well-prepared."

While Paremvi was distracted, Aleva got to her feet and sneaked into the ancient building in which hundreds of animals in distress were imprisoned.

Jonathan now had an expression upon his face that was as fearful as a wolverine fighting a possessed (but harmless) teddy bear, and as delightful as one who had just massacred twenty.

_So, this was going to be a challenge, after all, then. _

He took his sword from its hilt and tightened his grip, walking slowly backwards, and keeping a very close eye on Paremvi's every move.

The mutated beast made a noise halfway between a hearty laugh, someone clearing their throat and the scraping of metal on glass. It followed the boy, attempting to knock him down with its dissonant tail, but all in vain. Jonathan effortlessly dodged the blows from the organic mace, still with complete concentration upon his face.

He gradually picked up speed, until he was like a speeding arrow…. But in reverse, of course. He dragged the sword along the ground. This created sparks, which, in turn, enflamed the sword. He then ran forwards like a praying mantis whose body had been reinforced with springs, plunging the blade of steel and fire into the monster's blood-filled but decomposing heart.

And that wasn't just a poetic description of a tremendously immoral person's heart. Paremvi was so ancient, that his heart had begun to putrefy. But, being undead, that wasn't really much of an issue for him.

The creature groaned in shocked agony as its body was engulfed and consumed by the blade borne flames. From the house that Aleva had recently entered, there came a howl. A howl that seemed to echo from the walls and through the breeze, which was now blowing ferociously, as if it was desperate to tear itself away from the sky…. or…. at least…. to knock everything over.

Jonathan smiled a somewhat sinister smile, as the invisible hands of the sky pulled his frock coat.

"Oh, you _are_ a good girl, Aleva!"

"Whaph hasch you done!", Demanded Paremvi between his cries of burning torment. His words sounded as if a snake with a sore throat had spoken them because, let's face it, it's a bit difficult to speak properly when you're losing _a lot_ of blood and your body feels like you've somehow fallen into a volcano and a hypernova at the same time.

Jonathan just giggled to himself, as the windows of the house shattered, showering a rain of translucent-white dust and shards of glass upon the street. From them flew an array of small, winged animals, all of them closing in on Paremvi.

He opened his mouth and demanded, with a voice like a choking fork scratching at a blackboard, "Whaph ish niss! You are _my_ minions! You shall not athack me, I am your maphster!

Well, he would have if the words had time to reach his lips before the winged beasts began tearing at his burning flesh. He managed to avoid and swipe at a few of them, but despite his ancient power, he could not defend himself due to the sheer mass of hostile creatures.

Jonathan shielded himself from the prevailing breeze and the slightly more clumsy of the creatures, the flames of his sword seeming to dance like a puppet pulled by strings, refusing to be extinguished.

Within around eight minutes, Paremvi was devoured and all that remained of him was a charred, charcoal-black skeleton. But the skeleton did not appear fresh. Rather, it looked as if it had been lying there for millions of years and been crushed and fossilised amongst layers of sediment.

The young Assassin called Aleva and she emerged from the house, smiling like a dog that has been promised a full roast dinner.

She approached him, then turned her gaze to the mass of burnt bones. She turned her gaze of disappointment back towards him as if to say, "Well, so much for that dinner you promised me. There's nothing left for me to eat!"

Jonathan smiled apologetically and petted her on the head.

"I'm sorry, Aleva. But I'm sure we'll be able to find a passer-by for you to consume on the way back."

The disappointment upon Aleva's face diminished and replaced by what might loosely be called amusement. Until, that is, the skeleton began making sounds that should not be emitted from a skeleton. Not that skeletons generally make a sound which is _normal_ for them to emit. The skeleton sounded like a whole city of reptiles and insects trying to break their way through an old, creaking door. If there were an onomatopoeia for the sound, it would probably be something like this….

_Buziskcreek _

Aleva's facial expression was now one of confusion.

And so was the expression upon Jonathan's face.

The skeleton jerked for a second, causing Aleva to step back in surprise.

Each bone then began twisting and even _wriggling_. Some of them began to grow scales, others legs like writhing needles. Within seconds, the mutating bones ruptured like very oddly shaped burnt eggs, releasing hundreds of small, malicious beasts.

The winged animals that had, only a few minutes before, seemingly destroyed the first vampire, were consumed without any condolence by the undead swarm born from it. The pests then proceeded to encircle Aleva and Jonathan, their hissing and humming having an almost mocking tone. This easily agitated Aleva, with her hot temper; She ran amongst the swarm, desperately dodging the creatures' attacks and stabbed with her teeth the ones that were too slow to dodge _her_ attacks. Some of them she threw quite a distance after catching them in her jaws, just to make it clear that she did _not _take that sort of behaviour from _anybody _or _anything_!

From a distance, she may have been mistaken for a young dog blissfully chasing some rather queer butterflies. In fact, she did look quite elegant…. but in an amusing, silly way.

But Jonathan remained calmer than a still ocean on a warm winter night. Even when the charcoal-grey serpents were pulling and tearing at his coat and the dark purple-grey insects were biting and stinging, he did not even flinch.

He simply dropped his sword upon the ground alive with vermin, so that the flames spread along it and engulfed them. Aleva quickly ran to his side to avoid the burning feathers of plasma. She sat down and appeared hopeful. For one moment, a look of puppy-like innocence shone from her eyes. But what she wanted could not be called innocent.

When he was certain that every single one of the creatures was well and truly burned to a crumbly, charcoal-like substance, Jonathan picked the sword up from the ground. However, it had a terribly black blade that seemed more like slate than steel. Basically, it had become completely useless. But the sword had died a noble death!

"Okay then, Aleva." he smiled.

"You can have that person over there for your dinner. He looks very tasty, don't you think?"

Aleva smiled in sadistic agreement.

Jonathan's gaze was aimed at a random man who just happened to be walking home from a long night at a pub. He appeared to be drunk and because of this had difficulty walking. He must have overheard Jonathan speaking to Aleva, as he turned around and said (in a rather slurred and almost incomprehensible voice)

"Who, me?"

The young Assassin merely waved cheerfully at the man and under his breath, said to Aleva….

"Go and get him, girl. He's all yours!"

The young canine barked like an excited puppy that had just been thrown a new toy to fetch. She then headed straight for the drunkard and tripped him over before he could react at all. Now standing over him, she stared right into his bloodshot eyes and licked her lips sadistically.

Now, in his sober state, the man would have said something along the lines of "What the hell is this! Get off me this instant, you bad dog!"

However, because he was a bit squiffy, he just mumbled "Uh?"

Aleva began tearing at his body without remorse, consuming chunks of warm, bloody flesh as the man screamed in severe agony.

Jonathan was concerned that this screaming would attract attention, so he ran towards the man, took a black handkerchief from one of his pockets and tied it around his mouth.

He turned to Aleva and said….

"Are you having fun, Aleva?"

She appeared to briefly nod before continuing to consume her struggling, bleeding meal. Jonathan giggled silently to himself, as he observed the poor victim's suffering.

It wasn't long before he ceased to struggle and his eyes glazed over, loosing their vibrancy of life. Aleva, now having decided she had finished eating, walked over to Jonathan with an expression on her face that seemed to say "That was the best meat I've ever eaten. But the meat always does taste so much more delicious when it's still alive! I should have it more often."

Jonathan smiled _almost_ innocently.

"I suppose the cadaver ought to be disposed of. I will deal with getting rid of the evidence and you can start heading back to the Guild. I shouldn't take at all long, so I'll catch up with you soon enough."


End file.
